


Someplace That I've Never Been

by mitana



Series: Stay in the Car Chronicles [3]
Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29137248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitana/pseuds/mitana
Summary: Lee and Amanda take an important step in their relationship while on the Marvelous Marvin's case.
Relationships: Amanda King/Lee Stetson
Series: Stay in the Car Chronicles [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2137956
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Someplace That I've Never Been

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot is set during Fast Food for Thought, so it takes place mid-December, 1985. Remember that these stories are AU, and Lee met Amanda’s family in October (Part 2--Beyond the Yellow Brick Road). I’m not going to be focusing on the case, since we all know what happens. Please assume that for the most part, things happen just as they did in the episode, unless I mention otherwise. (Oh, and for now can we just practice suspension of disbelief that the boys somehow didn’t notice it was Lee saving them in The Wrong Way Home? I don’t know if I’m going to be writing that scene at some later date, but obviously something must be different, or they would have recognized him when he saved them…)

_Disclaimer: I do not own Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and no copyright infringement is intended. Contains dialogue from the episode, and credit for that goes to the writer, Robert W. Gilmer._

* * *

Lee rang the doorbell at 4247 Maplewood, once again appreciating that he could now walk up to the front door like a normal person.

A moment later, the door opened and he was looking into the sparkling brown eyes of his partner. She smiled. “Hi! I wasn’t expecting to see you today. Come on in.”

He followed her through the door. He hadn’t been over in a couple weeks, since Amanda had been helping her ex-husband get settled in his new place and the boys had been getting reacquainted with their dad. He looked around, relieved to see that Joe wasn’t there. 

When he’d seen Amanda at work lately, things between them had felt strained, but he wondered if they really were or if he was just imagining things. She had seemed pleased to see him when she opened the door.

He followed her out to the kitchen, where Philip and Jamie were devouring huge hamburgers and Dotty sat with a fish sandwich and a glass of milk. There was another fish sandwich on a plate on the table where Amanda had obviously been sitting.

“Hi, Lee!” both boys said with varying amounts of success, considering the amount of food in their mouths.

“Boys, don’t talk with your mouths full,” Dotty reminded them. She smiled at her daughter’s handsome coworker. “Hello, Lee.”

“Hi, everyone. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner.” He hadn’t really paid attention to what time it was.

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Amanda waved his concern away. “Today was so hectic that I didn’t have time to make dinner, so I told the boys I’d stop and pick something up. It’s later than we usually eat dinner, so you couldn’t have known.”

He noticed some white paper bags, flattened and stacked on the counter and waiting to be brought out to the trash. He almost smiled as he noted the Marvelous Marvin’s logo on the top one. Perfect.

“To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, Lee? You haven’t been around much lately.” Dotty asked.

He smiled at her. “Well, I’ve been busy with work and I also didn’t want to intrude on Joe’s time with his family.” He glanced at Amanda before turning back to Dotty. “I just need to talk to Amanda about something that’s come up at work.”

“Okay, well, let me take these bags out to the trash and you can keep me company and let me know what’s going on.” Amanda picked up the stack of Marvin’s bags and Lee followed her out to the back yard.

She threw the bags in the trash can and then sat on the bench at the picnic table. He sat down across from her.

“So, what’s up?” she began.

He took a breath to answer her, but she held up her index finger and suddenly added, “And don’t think you can avoid a discussion about you ‘intruding on Joe’s family time.’” She made air quotes with her fingers.

He closed his eyes for a moment. He’d wondered if she was going to pick up on that.

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. He grabbed her hand and lightly squeezed it. “Okay, but can we have that discussion later? We should have time during the case I came to talk to you about.”

She jutted her chin out and pursed her lips. “Fine. But we _will_ be discussing it.”

He nodded. He fully intended to address it. Later. “Anyway, I’m looking for a business partner. You interested?”

**SMK**

They pulled up to the Foxrun Motel and parked. Amanda jumped out while Lee popped the hatch. As she started pulling luggage out of the back, she decided to address the realities of their accommodations for the night.

“You know, there are a few things we probably ought to talk about before we get checked in.”

“Yeah.”

“We don’t have any problems now, but we’re out here in the parking lot and we wouldn’t want any problems later. So, if we could get things straight now…”

“Amanda, this isn’t really necessary.”

“I know it isn’t, but just indulge me, okay?”

“Oh, alright.”

“Well, in the first place, I like to take my shower first thing in the morning.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Now, I know there are some men that like to go into the bathroom and lock the door. They go in with the newspaper and they shave and they read the paper and I don’t know what they do in there…”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“And they take over an hour. And I just hope that you’re not one those guys.”

Lee shook his head at her rambling. “Well, I—"

“But even if you are, maybe we can figure out a compromise that’s comfortable for both of us.” She paused. “Now the other thing is, when I go to bed at night, I like to leave the window cracked just about _this_ much.” She held her fingers about two inches apart.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Just enough for a little fresh air. I hope that will be alright with you. If it won’t, I’ll crack it just about _that_ much.” She shortened the distance between her fingers to one inch.

Lee really wanted to be able to get inside so he could get their luggage stowed in the room and get on with their investigation, so he finally felt he had to stop her. “Amanda?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m fine with anything you like. You can have the window as wide open as you want it, and I’ll work around your schedule. Now, can we go check in, please?”

She took a deep breath and picked up her luggage from the ground. “Sure.”

“Oh, wait,” Lee stopped and put his luggage back on the ground. He dug into his pocket and pulled out several rings. “Here you go.” He held out his hand, and she took a diamond wedding set from him. He placed the men’s gold band on his left ring finger and waited while Amanda donned hers. 

They approached the registration table for the Marvin’s seminar. “Hi, there. I’m Carla, your Marvin’s hostess for this weekend.”

“Hi, I’m Lee Stimpson, and this is my wife, Amanda Stimpson.”

Carla looked at her clipboard. “Yep. Here we are, last ones on the list. Lee and Amanda.”

**SMK**

“Room 205,” Lee reminded her. She nodded. “Here we are,” he said, indicating the door at the end of the hall on the left.

He set down his luggage and pulled out the key. They went in and Lee wasn’t surprised at the unimpressive accommodations. He had seen Eddie’s room, after all; though at least this was clean and orderly. 

“Great view of the parking lot,” Amanda commented. 

“Hmm,” Lee agreed. “Which bed do you want?”

“I’ll take the one closest to the window, if you don’t mind.” She set her suitcase down next to that bed. “I appreciate you getting a room with two beds.”

“Well, thanks, but I can’t take the credit. The place was almost full, and I just took what they had left. If they had only had rooms with one bed, we would have been stuck with that. So, it was sheer chance that this works out better for us, anyway.”

Amanda smiled and nodded. As she started unpacking her suitcase, she noticed the time. Just after five o’clock. That gave them a few hours until they had to be at the Marvin’s Corporate Headquarters for the little ‘get-together’ that Carla had mentioned.

“So… Unless there’s something we need to do for the case, can we have that talk now about your comment last night?”

Lee looked at the clock in the room, then sat on the edge of his bed. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

She sat down on her bed, facing him. “Okay, so, we’ve been seeing a lot more of each other outside of work since October.”

He nodded.

“You’ve come over multiple times for dinner, and we’ve gone out a couple times, too, just the two of us.”

He nodded again.

“My mother loves you, the boys are really beginning to warm up to you, and you _know_ that _I_ like having you around.”

He smiled, nodding. “I know.”

“So then why, when my ex-husband comes back-- my _EX_ -husband, whom I have _not_ been married to for three years, and whom I had _barely_ seen at _all_ for several years _before_ our divorce-- do you think that I want to spend all my free time for two weeks hanging out with _him_?” She drew in and let out a deep breath, not having realized before now how annoyed she had been that Lee had seemed to avoid her during non-working hours, and not been as…affectionate… during working hours.

Uh-oh. He hadn’t realized that she was upset about it.

He blew out a gust of air, running his hands through his hair and making it stick up in all directions.

“I’m sorry.” He smiled repentantly at her. “I guess I just thought that the boys might appreciate some family time with _both_ of their parents, and that Joe needed to re-acclimate to being back in the US, and that naturally—”

“Naturally, I’d prefer to be with all of them, instead of you?”

He nodded, dropping his eyes. He was surprised to feel the mattress dip beside him, and looked up to see Amanda sitting close.

She twisted her hips so that her left thigh and knee were drawn up on the bed beside him and she was facing him. She then reached out and grabbed his right hand with her left one, and placed the linked set on her left knee. 

With a small smile, she reached up with her right hand and smoothed down the hair that he had left sticking up a few moments earlier.

Her voice was soft when she finally spoke. “Sweetheart, what Joe does with his free time is his business, and the only way it affects me is when it comes to the boys. He wants to spend time with them, and I’m glad. But I don’t have to be there, too. And even though I’m glad for the boys’ sake that they had an opportunity to spend time with both of us, it’s not something I intend to continue on a regular basis. I don’t want to give _anyone_ , either Joe _or_ the boys _or_ my mother, the impression that we are somehow going to get back together and just be one big happy family again.”

Lee let out a shaky breath as she addressed his biggest concern.

“You thought--?”

“I thought there was a possibility, yeah…” He looked into her eyes, seeing the understanding and forgiveness there that he had hoped for but didn’t think he deserved.

“You have a shared history with Joe. You are the mother of his children. He’s got a steady, well-paying job with the EAO, and now that he’s moving back to DC…”

“Lee, the past is the past. I don’t want to go back; I want to go forward. And that ship has sailed. I’ll always love Joe, and I’ll always be connected to Joe because of the boys, but that doesn’t mean I want to be in a relationship with him.” She brushed a couple strands of hair back from his forehead.

He sighed at the comforting gesture. There was another reason that he had backed off from Amanda lately, and he wasn’t sure if this was the right time to bring it up, but he decided it needed to be addressed.

He squeezed her hand where it still rested, clasped with his, on her knee. “Amanda, there’s another reason that I… well, that I’ve been acting a little…different… at work lately.”

She nodded, her eyes wide. She had noticed that he hadn’t been willing to get as physically close, hadn’t joined in as much teasing, hadn’t opened himself up emotionally as much over the last two weeks as he had been doing through October and November. She hadn’t wanted to make him feel uncomfortable by engaging in those activities herself, so she had also refrained from them. She had wondered what had happened to make him change and had worried that she had done something to make him back off.

“Lately I’ve been taking a good, hard look at my behaviors of the past. I haven’t been a good person, Amanda.”

She opened her mouth to contradict him, but he went on.

“No, please let me say this, Amanda.” She nodded unhappily and he went on. “They say confession is good for the soul, but I’m not a religious man, so I think I need to tell you.”

She nodded uncertainly, her eyes wide. 

“You are my touchstone, Amanda. I realized it a few months ago. You are everything that is good and pure in my life. Whenever I do something now, I wonder how you would react, what you would think. Would you approve? Would you condemn it? Would I disappoint you if I did it?”

He looked into her eyes insecurely. Would his honesty drive her away? Would she finally realize that she was too good for him, and leave?

She inhaled quickly and he held up his free hand, stalling the comment he knew she was about to make.

“I’ve made some bad choices in my life, Amanda. When I met you, I was reckless in both my professional _and_ personal lives. Any number of horrible consequences could have resulted from my choices.” He took a deep breath. “I know that some of those behaviors have hurt you in the past, and I want to apologize for them, because I also want you to know that I will never again do or say anything to purposely hurt you.”

She reached up and wiped a tear off his cheek that he hadn’t even realized had fallen.

“You _are_ my best friend, Amanda King, and I care for you more than you know. You have made me a better person, one that I don’t have to be ashamed of anymore. You guide my actions by your good example and your caring heart. You bring me to a place that I’ve never been before, a—a state of… _grace_ … that I thought was impossible for someone like me to reach.”

He brought his left hand up to her cheek and placed it tenderly against her soft skin. She closed her eyes and leaned into it, and he used his thumb to wipe away the tear that trickled down her cheek.

She opened her eyes again and looked into his. Placing her right hand on his left cheek, she mirrored his position and leaned in toward him. “Oh, Sweetheart,” she murmured, and he leaned in as well.

Their lips met in a tender kiss, and with just the slightest pressure, their hearts and minds joined irrevocably.

After that one, sublime, moment, they pulled apart just enough to rest their foreheads against each other.

“Just so you know,” Amanda whispered, “you’ve always been a good man. Do you think I would have stayed with you all this time if you weren’t?”

After a moment of silent contemplation, she felt his head rock from side to side against hers.

That pose lasted for another thirty seconds before Amanda pulled back. “What time is it? We have to get ready to go.”

Lee laughed, the skin around his eyes creasing in merriment. “One of these days, Amanda King, I’m going to make you lose all track of time.”

She smiled mischievously. “Is that a promise?”

He nodded solemnly. “It’s a promise.”

“Good,” she replied, equally sincere.

She let go of his hand and stood up, groaning a bit as she shook her left leg, which had been in a bent position up on the bed during their whole discussion.

“You okay?” Lee asked, concerned.

“I’m fine, my leg’s just asleep. I’m going to walk around the room for a few minutes and try to get some feeling back into it. Why don’t you use the bathroom first and get changed?”

“Alright.” He opened his luggage and pulled out his shirt, suit, and tie from the garment bag, then dug into his small suitcase for some dress socks.

Giving Amanda a poignant smile, he dropped his suit coat and tie onto his bed and went into the bathroom, shutting the door.

She walked around the small room in a circle, stomping her left leg to try to encourage blood flow. After two revolutions, she ended up near her bed, and she removed the blouse, sweater vest, skirt, and nylons she was planning on wearing tonight from her luggage. Her unpacking had been interrupted earlier, so she finished with that, too.

She then sat on her bed and waited for Lee to finish in the bathroom, flipping through the information packet that Carla had given them when they checked in.

A moment later, Lee came out in his socks, pants, and dress shirt, carrying his clothes from before. “All yours,” he said, gesturing at the bathroom.

“Thanks.”

It only took her a few minutes to change, and when she came out of the bathroom, Lee was sitting on his bed, tying his shoes, and his luggage had also been unpacked.

He stood up, reaching for his tie. As he picked it up off the bed, Amanda walked to his side and gently took the tie out of his hand, placing a hand on his shoulder to press him down into a sitting position on the bed. He looked up at her face, realizing that he recognized the smile she wore.

“Allow me,” suggested Amanda in a husky voice.

He reached up and placed his fingers at the corner of her lips. “Are you going to tell me what this smile is about this time?”

“Well,” she began, turning her head and kissing his fingertips, then gently placing the center of the long piece of material behind his neck and pulling the ends toward her, “You’re an intelligent man. Let’s see if you can figure it out.”

She dropped the ends of the tie onto his chest, reaching up to his neck to pull up his collar, smooth the tie into place, and pull the collar back down over it. As she did, the sides of her thumbs brushed his neck, causing goosebumps to rise all over his body and a shiver to go down his spine.

He groaned and dropped his head to her chest. Closing his eyes, he was able to concentrate on the exquisite feeling of her hands running through the fine hair on the back of his head and neck.

She leaned down and gently kissed the crown of his head, then smoothed her hands down his neck to his shoulders. With a slight pressure, she leaned him back so his head left her chest, and nudged him to stand up. She had to take a step back so he had room.

Their eyes met as her hands again found themselves on his shoulders, this time sliding forward onto his chest to grab the ends of the tie. As she began to form the knot, she could feel the racing of his heart. She knew it matched hers. 

She continued tying the knot, making adjustments as needed, until it was finished. She then smoothed the fabric down his chest, following the motion with her eyes. His hand rose and nudged her head up, then he leaned down just enough to allow their lips to gently meet.

They pulled back, eyes meeting in silent acknowledgment of their feelings.

“Wow,” Lee responded. “I think I know what that smile was for now.”

She smiled in wonder. “I thought I did, too, but it was never…” Conscious that it wasn’t really appropriate to bring up her ex-husband in this context, she stopped.

He nodded, understanding what she didn’t say. “I’ve never had a—” He smiled, realizing the inappropriateness of that thought, also. “That was a new experience for me, too.”

She smiled shyly, but then her eyes shifted to the clock. “Oh! We need to get going.”

He laughed out loud, her lighter laugh joining his. 

She slipped her feet into her pumps and grabbed her purse off the bed. She looked at Lee and saw him putting on his sport coat. Once he had it comfortably situated, he held out his hand and they left the room.

**SMK**

“Well, isn’t this a cozy little place you two have here,” Francine teased.

“Isn’t it, though?” Amanda answered, still flipping through the magazine in front of her.

Francine raised her eyebrows and glanced at Lee, who shrugged and grinned.

After discussing Cecil Bendix for a few minutes, Francine decided to go figure out the problem with her room. “Well, now, you two sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.”

“Goodnight, Francine!”

“Goodnight, Amanda.”

After the door closed, Amanda stood up from the table and moved to sit on her bed, right next to the telephone. “I’m going to make a quick call to Mother to check in, then you can phone Mr. Melrose to update him. And then we should go to bed. We have an early breakfast with Marvin tomorrow morning.”

He grinned at her. “Alright.” He gestured at the bathroom. “I guess I’ll get ready for bed while you make your call, and then we can trade places.”

“Sounds good.”

They did exactly that, Amanda finishing her call just as Lee came out of the bathroom wearing light blue pajamas. They smiled at each other as Amanda passed by to get into the bathroom, and he sat down on his bed to make his call to Billy.

He was just finishing up his phone call when Amanda came out of the bathroom wearing a modest cotton nightgown, her face scrubbed clean of makeup. As he said his goodbyes to Billy, he watched her walk to the window and slide it open about two inches. He grinned at her as she turned back around, and she shrugged. “If it gets too cold during the night, I’ll close it,” she reassured him. He nodded.

Making sure the lamp on the nightstand was turned on, he stood up to turn off the main light for the room, which was controlled by a switch near the door. After he turned it off, he turned on the bathroom light and pulled the door closed so only a sliver of light was showing. Walking back to the side of the bed nearest Amanda’s, he noticed she was still standing, reaching behind her neck with both hands to undo the clasp of her necklace.

“Here, let me help.”

He heard her breath catch as he stepped up behind her, but she whispered a soft “okay” as she used her hands to pull her hair out of the way.

He took a deep breath as he leaned over to see the clasp in the dim light. He could smell the remainder of her lavender perfume and a soapier smell that was probably from her face wash. His fingers brushed her neck, feeling for the clasp. He found it, but not before feeling Amanda tremble at his touch. He used his fingernail to undo the clasp, carefully bringing the ends of the chain around her head while Amanda moved her arms out of the way. He held the necklace carefully and re-hooked it, then placed it on the nightstand. 

Amanda still stood facing away from him, her arms hugging herself as her head dropped forward. He carefully reached out and brushed the hair away from her neck again, and he heard Amanda take a deep, shuddering breath. He leaned down and placed his lips on the back of her neck, lightly kissing a path to one side. He heard a soft moan as he stepped closer behind her, then he lifted his head away from her neck and put his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him, trusting him with her entire weight, and he gripped her hips more firmly to make sure she didn’t fall.

He dropped his head and kissed the top of hers, tightening his arms around her. After a long moment, she shifted her weight and pulled just slightly away; as he was about to remove his arms from around her, she whispered, “No,” and turned within the circle of his arms so she was facing him.

She fastened her arms around his waist and settled her head onto his chest, smelling the clean fragrance of his laundry detergent and a faint whisp of his cologne. She could feel the heat of his chest through the fabric of his pajamas, and she melted into him, amazed that she was finally in his arms, as she had wanted to be for so long.

They stood that way for several minutes, until Amanda felt herself becoming drowsy. She finally pulled back and gave him a sleepy smile. “I’m falling asleep. I think we need to go to bed.”

“Alright.” He stepped back, his arms already feeling cold and empty without her. 

She took a step back, feeling the edge of the mattress behind her, then bent down and pulled the covers back. She sat down, watching him do the same. He swung his legs up on the bed, then pulled the covers over himself. She carefully slid the bedding over herself, reaching for the switch on the lamp that sat on the nightstand between them.

They met each other’s eyes just before she turned off the lamp. “Goodnight, Lee.”

“Goodnight, Amanda.”

**SMK**

The breeze coming in the window was cold enough to wake her up, so Amanda flipped the covers back and stood, shuffling over to the window and preparing to shut it. She stopped, however, when she heard some muffled voices that seemed to be getting louder and clearer. She thought she recognized Carla’s voice.

She raced back to Lee’s bed.

“Lee!” she whispered loudly, shaking his shoulder, conscious that waking an agent out of a sound sleep might not be the best idea. But she suspected the conversation happening outside the window might be important. “Lee! Wake up! Some people are talking outside and I think it might be Carla and Cecil Bendix!”

His eyes opened and he threw back his covers, racing over to the window and peering out the curtains. Listening to the conversation, he knew that Amanda had been right.

After the three conspirators in the parking lot left, Amanda closed the window.

Lee looked at her questioningly. 

“I got up to close it earlier, and that’s how I heard the conversation.” She smiled at him.

“Well, you leaving the window open and getting cold just gave us the break we’ve been looking for.”

She shrugged, smiling.

As they turned back to their beds, she shivered.

“Still cold?” He rubbed his hands up and down her bare arms.

“A little, but I’m sure I’ll be able to warm up after I get under the covers.” She was enjoying his touch and she gave a little shudder at the feelings it was invoking.

“Here, just—just get in the bed with me and we can share our warmth.”

“Hmm. Just like in the swamp?” she grinned. 

“Yeah, but without the mosquitos and manacles.”

“Sounds like heaven.”

“Yeah, it really does.”

She took a deep breath, then climbed into Lee’s bed. She scooted over to make room for him, and he also climbed in, then pulled up the covers. The sheets had cooled in the time he had been out of the bed, so she shivered again, and he wrapped his arms around her, spooning against her. She could feel his body heat seeping through the two layers of fabric, and she relaxed into his arms.

“Goodnight, Lee.”

“Goodnight, Amanda.”

He kissed the side of her neck, and she fell asleep with the heat of Lee’s body warming hers and the tenderness of his kisses warming her heart.

**SMK**

The next morning, she woke ten minutes before the alarm was set to go off. During the night, they had separated and he was lying on his back several inches away, so it was easy to get out of the bed without disturbing him. 

She went into the bathroom and used the facilities, then came back out and retrieved her clothes for the day. Heading back into the bathroom, she took a quick shower and washed her hair.

After she got out, she dried off and put on her robe. Before taking time in the bathroom to get dressed, she wanted to make sure Lee didn’t need to use the facilities. 

She cracked open the door. Peeking out of the opening, she saw that Lee was no longer in bed. She opened the door wider.

“Good morning,” she heard his deep, gravelly voice greet her. 

She turned toward the sound, smiling at him when she saw him. His hair was adorably mussed from sleeping, his face lit up with a beautiful smile that crinkled the skin near his eyes. 

“Good morning, Lee.”

The silence that followed her greeting made her acutely aware of her state of undress and wet hair. She put her hand to her head and self-consciously touched the flattened, damp strands.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “I—I thought maybe you’d need to use the restroom before I take the time to get ready. Or-- or maybe you’d like to take your shower now and I can get ready out here.”

“Either way works for me.”

“Well, let me get my things out of the bathroom and I can change out here while you shower. That seems like a better use of our time.”

He nodded and she turned back around to get her clothes and toiletries out of the bathroom. As she came out with her hands full, he stepped close to her and cupped her face in his hands. He leaned in and, when it was obvious she wasn’t going to object, kissed her lightly on the lips.

When he pulled away, she leaned back in and pressed her lips to his, this kiss a little more serious. When she pulled back, her face was flushed a light pink.

His hands dropped to her shoulders and he looked her in the eyes. “ _Well._ Good morning, Amanda.” If anything, his smile had only grown.

She smiled back at him mischievously. “You already said that.”

He shook his head, his smile turning into a wide grin. “No, earlier it was a greeting. This time, it was a statement of fact.”

She sighed and pulled one of her hands free from the stash of clothes and toiletries she held. She reached up and rubbed her thumb against one of his dimples.

“I have a confession to make.” Her statement caused his smile to fade a bit, and she rushed to explain.

“I told you a few months ago that I was immune to your dimples.” She cupped his cheek and leaned forward to drop another kiss on his lips. “But I’m not.”

His grin deepened in relief and amusement. “Good to know,” he laughed, then lightly kissed her nose and released her shoulders. She removed her hand from his face and stepped back, allowing him to get his clothes so he could get ready.

He emerged from the bathroom about 20 minutes later, dressed and carrying his pajamas and toiletries bag. She was sitting at the desk in the room, looking into the mirror to finish blow-drying her hair with the hair dryer she always took with her on trips. You could never rely on a hotel, and especially low-end motels, to provide one in the room. Plus, it worked out well this time because the hair dryer in this place was attached to the wall in the bathroom.

He tossed his items into his suitcase and sat down on his bed to put on his shoes. He smiled to himself, remembering that it had actually ended up being _their_ bed last night. It really _had_ been heaven, holding her against him in the bed. And it showed just how much she trusted him now, since he knew from previous experience that she didn’t take sharing a bed lightly.

He distractedly noted the silence as Amanda turned off the hair dryer, and realized that he was still holding his shoe in his hand as he sat on the bed. He chuckled to himself and inserted his foot into the shoe.

“I think you’re going to have to go to breakfast by yourself this morning. I need to talk to Billy about Cecil Bendix; with what he told Francine in the bar and what we heard last night in the parking lot, he’s looking like our best lead right now.”

She nodded.

He finished putting on and tying his shoes, then slapped his hands down onto his thighs and stood up.

A glitter of light caught his eye, and he noticed that Amanda’s diamond heart necklace was still sitting on the nightstand where he had placed it last night. With a smile, he picked it up and walked over to Amanda. He opened the clasp and held the two ends of the chain, holding it out toward Amanda. Wordlessly, she turned away from him and held her hair up off her neck.

He lowered the pendant in front of her face and brought the ends of the chain around behind her neck. She moved her arm out of the way and continued holding her hair up with her other hand, so her neck was still exposed. He latched the clasp, then placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward, kissing the side of her neck near her shoulder. She turned her head toward his and he took the opportunity to move his lips, trailing small kisses up the side of her neck and along her jaw until he reached her lips. Her hand released her hair and slid up the side of his neck until she reached his jaw, then stayed there, gently guiding and accepting him.

He took a step forward so he had a better angle, then his lips met hers. She turned her chair toward him so she could apply more pressure to his lips, opening hers in invitation. He gladly accepted, letting his tongue slide into her mouth. She moaned, shifting her hand so that she could hold him in place. Her tongue met his, and this time, he moaned.

She brought her free hand up and cupped his other cheek, and he deepened the kiss.

Finally, they broke apart, both gasping for breath, hearts racing. He reached for one of the hands on his face, using it as leverage to stand her up in front of him. She dropped her other hand to his shoulder, then slid it down to his chest. They looked into each other’s eyes, then found themselves kissing again, this time in a series of soft brushes that landed on their lips, cheeks, and jaws.

Gasping, Amanda finally pulled back enough that she could move her hand from his chest and reach around his ribs, her other hand meeting it around his back. She pressed her cheek to the spot her hand had just vacated, right over his heart. She breathed him in, the combination of laundry detergent, soap, and cologne one that she couldn’t get enough of. In the silence of the room, she could hear his heart beating strongly, and she felt each thud against her cheek.

His arms wrapped around her and he held her tightly, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. He had kissed many women over the years, but nothing had prepared him for kissing Amanda. He had never known how much love would enhance the experience…

Yes, _love._ He had thought he was in love in the past, but he knew now that he hadn’t been. He had never opened himself up enough to really feel love before, but with Amanda…

He squeezed his eyes shut and rested his cheek against the top of her head, memorizing this moment, this feeling of warmth and possibility and a full heart.

Amanda felt his cheek settle on the top of her head, and she took in everything; his smell, his heartbeat, the warmth of his skin through the thin cotton of his shirt, the tightness of his arms around her, the feeling of being safe… Safe physically, but also emotionally. Her heart was protected by him, too. Last night was the first time she had been in bed with a man since divorcing Joe (she didn’t count that time she and Lee had literally hopped ‘under the covers’ in that seedy motel to maintain their cover). And she hadn’t really given it a second thought, just gotten in the bed and felt his arms around her, and relaxed into the best sleep she could ever remember having. If they had been sleeping in the same bed during the first part of the night, she would never have woken up to hear the conversation in the parking lot; she would have felt so warm and comfortable and safe that she would have slept through a blizzard.

She had known she was in love with Lee for a long time. When they had first met, she had developed a little crush on him, though his frequent grumpy moods, criticisms, and reluctance to work with her had eventually killed it. But over time, his attitude had changed, and they had started building a friendship. With that friendship, they developed trust. And as she learned more and more about the real Lee Stetson, the man behind the agent, she couldn’t help but love him.

She sighed contentedly. This was right where she wanted to be. And it appeared that Lee felt the same way. She wished they could stay like this forever, but they had to get to back to the case… _The case!_

She pulled back and felt Lee’s head lift up. “Lee, I wish we could just stay like this for the rest of the day, but we have work to do,” she said softly.

She felt his chest expand and deflate as he took in a deep breath and let it out in a big gust. “You’re right. We should get going.”

They reluctantly untangled themselves and shared a loving look, then turned to their respective suitcases to finish packing up. With any luck, they’d close this case today and not have to come back to this room again, though each of them would carry many warm memories of the Foxrun Motel from this day forward…

**SMK**

“I think it’s really nice that someone likes Francine,” Amanda commented, and Billy snorted in laughter and turned to go back to his office.

Still chuckling, Lee took Amanda’s arm and escorted her to the elevator. “Well, how are _you_ feeling?”

“Oh, I’m alright. You know, when I think about it, I can still get a little cold.” She rubbed her arms.

He took her hands and rubbed them between his. “Well, I’ve got just the cure for that.”

“Oh, you do, do you?”

“It’ll take some time, and dinner, and a very special bottle of wine…”

“Sounds great.” Amanda looked around to see if anyone was nearby. Noticing that they were as alone as they could be in an Agency hallway, she turned her hands in his and grasped them.

The doors slid open, and she looked at the elevator, then looked at Lee. Shrugging, she let go of his hands and they stepped into the elevator.

“So, this dinner you were talking about… Your place?” She gave him a glance under her eyelashes, aware that there was a camera in the elevator. 

“Mm-hmm. Are you free tonight?”

“I…think I can arrange that.” She grinned up at him. “All I have to do is tell Mother that I’m going out with you, and she’ll volunteer to keep an eye on the boys for as long as I need.”

“Oh, really?” he asked suggestively, then grinned back at her. “I’ve always liked your mother.”

Their laughter spilled out of the opening elevator doors and filled the foyer.

**_State of Grace_ ** _by Billy Joel_

_There you go, slipping away into a state of grace  
I know the look that comes across your face  
It's so familiar to me  
Here I am, trying to keep you in my line of sight  
I'm never certain that you read me right  
Sometimes you don't want to see_

_Here we are, both of us know we're in love  
But that isn't always enough  
I never could rise above it all, down I fall_

_But darling there you go, slipping away into a state of grace  
Granted, this world is not a perfect place  
Still it's the world that I'm in  
Here I am talking while  
You don't hear a word I say  
Knowing you're watching me from far away  
Somewhere that I've never been_

_Don't you see, you lived a different life than me  
It don't mean you have to be afraid of how  
We're not the same, don't leave me now_

_But darling there you go, slipping away_

_How can I get you to stay where you are  
Keep you from going too far  
Holding you here is so hard to do  
I'm losing you_

_And darling there you go, slipping away into a state of grace  
Drifting away into your sacred place  
Someplace that I've never been  
There you go, slipping away, slipping away into a state of grace  
There you go, slipping away into a state of grace  
Yeah, drifting away into that sacred place_

_There you go, slipping away_


End file.
